Friday, October 25, 2013

From a field of 283 applicants, Matthews-based startup MANA Nutrition was
selected as one of eight finalists in the "Get in the Ring: The American Startup
Clash" competition, hosted by the The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation. MANA,
which makes ready-to-use food designed to treat severe malnutrition and its
effects, will compete against the other finalists Nov. 18 in front of a panel of
judges and a live audience.MANA has a 30,000-square-foot production facility in Georgia that makes a
therapeutic peanut butter for aid groups such as UNICEF, the U.N. World Food
Program, World Vision and USAID.The top U.S. finisher will get $10,000 and travel to the global finals in the
Netherlands Nov. 22. The worldwide winner will get a change to secure up to $1.3
million in angel investments.

"We are thrilled to make the final eight and will go to Kansas City planning
to win it and show the country that Charlotte is an up-and-coming city for
innovative entrepreneurs," says Mark Moore, CEO of MANA Nutrition. The panel of judges includes: global fashion mogul Marc Ecko; Dell president Steve Felice; serial entrepreneur, investor and author Lisa Gansky; consumer brand “turnaround” CEO Matthew Rubel; and broadcast and digital media guru Denmark West.Get in the Ring was founded
in 2009 by the Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship in the Netherlands to bring
the world's most promising entrepreneurs together with those who can help them
succeed and to inspire others to start their entrepreneurial journeys. The
international finals are held each November during Global Entrepreneurship
Week.